ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
TOPS approves proposal of Manu Bhaker, Angad Vir Singh Bajwa to engage sports psychologist for better prepration
Target Olympic Podium Scheme  sanctioned the proposal from two Olympic-qualified shooters Manu Bhaker and Angad Vir Singh Bajwa to engage the services of sports psychologist Sanjana Kiran to assist them in their preparation for the Tokyo Olympics that are scheduled for later this year. The proposal was sanctioned last week at the Mission Olympic Cell meeting.
Sanjana Kiran is a Singapore-based High performance expert in the field of sport psychology and performance psychology and has provided support to elite athletes and elite coaches in preparation for major events and international competitions.
Speaking about the role of a sports psychologist as part of her preparation for the Olympics, Manu Bhaker who is eligible to participate in both the women’s 10m air pistol and women’s 25m pistol at the Olympics said, “Being in a sport that requires vigorous mental strength and stability to be able to perform flawlessly, getting Sanjana Kiran's guidance will help me to prepare better for the Olympics.”
Olympian and medalist at the Asian and Commonwealth Games Suma Shirur who is currently the High Performance Specialist coach of the Indian Junior Rifle Shooting team, welcomed the decision to have a psychologist working with shooters, “Sport is getting more professional. If we have to put our best foot forward, why not engage experts. In our time, we learnt through experience but nowadays shooters begin early so experts will expedite their learning curve.”
Shirur added that given that most of the Olympic-bound shooters are teenagers or in their early 20s and have gone through a long period out of competitive action due to the coronavirus pandemic, having a psychologist help them is even more important.
Sanjana Kiran’s engagements with Bhaker and Bajwa include online sessions, travelling to competitions to offer her inputs and the travel expenses involved while going for competitions.
The total cost of Kiran’s engagement with the two shooters, starting from January 2021, is approximately Rs. 29 lakh.
Prior to sanctioning this amount to the two shooters, TOPS had sanctioned Rs. 68.39 Lakhs for Angad Vir Singh Bajwa who has qualified for the Olympics in men’s skeet on international training, ammunition and out of pocket allowance. For Manu Bhaker, TOPS had sanctioned Rs. 21.49 Lakhs for ammunition, equipment and out of pocket allowance.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
PIB, Kolkata organizes media workshop ‘Vartalap’ in Barrackpore, North 24 Parganas
Barrackpore, North 24 Parganas, December 20, 2018.
Press Information Bureau, Kolkata organized Vartalap – the Media Workshop in Barrackpore, North 24 Parganas today. The media-persons of the district including small and medium newspapers participated in large numbers in this programme meant for dissemination of news related to Central government sponsored welfare schemes and programmes and media-services related to Press Information Bureau.
The Additional Director General  of Press Information Bureau in Kolkata, Ms. Jane Namchu addressed the journalists working in North 24 Parganas to update them about the functions of Press Information Bureau which is to provide them authentic information related to Central Government’s schemes and programmes which reaches them through digital media and other means as well. In an interactive session held as part of the programme, the journalists shared their concerns and problems faced in their day-to-day functioning.
Veteran journalists who participated in this media workshop shared their rich professional experiences and stated as to how PIB’s press releases, feature service, photos can be beneficial for them in their quest of making authentic news about Government and the welfare schemes meant for people. Senior journalist Shri Rathindra Mohan Bandopadhyay urged the media persons to use information provided by PIB to sensitize common citizens about how they can avail benefits from the Centrally-sponsored schemes. Shri Ashoke Sengupta, another senior journalist narrated the history of evolution of newspapers right from the 18th century upto the present digital era. He stated as to how news in now made available in real time by means of internet and social media. In this context, PIB Officials informed that PIB press releases, photos, info graphics and other media contents can be obtained directly from PIB’s website, facebook page as well as twitter handle in Bangla, apart from Hindi, English and other Indian languages. Senior journalist of North 24 Parganas Shri Uday Basu explained PIB’s significance for small newspapers with limited resources when it comes to obtaining news on Central Government.
Shri Deepak Dey, Chief Manager, lead Bank in North 24 Parganas- Allahabad bank informed the journalists about the various banking sector schemes started by the Central Government like PMJDY, PMAY, PMSBY, PMMY among others.
Around 50 media persons including five lady-journalists participated in the workshop which became so lively and participative in nature that it was appreciated by most of the media persons present.
Smt. Chitra Gupta delivered the welcome speech highlighting PIB’s functions and then moved the vote of thanks too. Media and Communication Officer, PIB, Kolkata, Smt. Srijata Saha Sahu conducted the event Smt. Sriyanka Chatterjee gave an audio visual presentation of PIB utilities including the diversified multilingual pages of reference matter that has been made available on the revamped PIB website.
Ministry of Civil Aviation
Improvement in Aviation Safety Ranking
ICAO team has informed DGCA that the Effective Implementation of India has increased to 85.49% from the previous 69.95%.
A team of Auditors from International Civil Aviation Organisation  conducted an audit of Directorate General of Civil Aviation  from 09.11.2022 to 16.11.2022. During the closing briefing, the ICAO team informed DGCA that the Effective Implementation of India has increased to 85.49% from the previous 69.95%. The draft report of the audit will be provided by ICAO within 90 days after the last day of on-site activity .
DGCA is the safety regulator for ensuring safety of aircraft operations within India and has laid down a mechanism of conducting surveillance, spot checks, night surveillance etc. of the airlines to ensure safety of passenger and aircraft. The observations/ findings made during surveillance, spot checks and night surveillance are provided to the airline for taking corrective action. The action taken to correct the observation are reviewed and the finding closed. All occurrences are mandatorily reported to DGCA. These occurrences are thoroughly analysed, and severity is determined. Based on severity, these occurrences are investigated. Appropriate action is taken on the outcome of investigation. In addition, special audits are also carried out as per the risk perceived. DGCA does not conducts security audit of airlines.
Based on the violations found during surveillance, spot checks, night surveillance, DGCA initiates enforcement action against the airlines/operator as per the procedure given in Enforcement Policy and Procedures Manual  which includes warning, suspension, cancellation of approval/licence including imposition of financial penalty on the personnel involved/ airline.
This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation Gen.  V. K. Singh  in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
India-Bhutan to have seven additional entry/exit points for trade
Since 2014, trade between India and Bhutan has more than doubled from USD 484 million in 2014-15 to USD 1083 million in 2020-21
India-Bhutan Commerce Secretary Level meeting held in New Delhi today
The Commerce Secretary Level meeting was held between India and Bhutan on trade and transit issues, here today.
The Indian delegation was led by Shri B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India and the Bhutanese delegation was led by H.E. Dasho Karma Tshering, Secretary, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Royal Government of Bhutan.
The two sides held extensive discussions on the current trade and transit issues including measures to further strengthen bilateral trade relations and issues of mutual interest, on ways to increase trade connectivity between the two countries. Through Letters of Exchange , the following seven additional entry/exit points for trade between India and Bhutan were formalized:-
1. Nagarkata Land Customs Station without commodity restriction.
2. Agartala Land Customs Station as an entry /exit point.
3. Pandu port  as an entry /exit point, subject to cross border control at Dhubri.
4. Jogighopa port as an entry/exit point, subject to cross border control at Dhubri.
5. Asian Highway 48 connecting Torsha Tea Garden in India and Ahllay in Bhutan as an additional route corresponding to the Land Custom Station at Jaigaon.
6. Kamardwisa as an entry/exit point.
7. Birpara as an entry/exit point.
This will form an addendum to the Protocol of 2016 India-Bhutan Agreement on Trade, Commerce and Transit. This will facilitate India-Bhutan bilateral trade to our mutual advantage.
Since 2014, trade between India and Bhutan has more than doubled from USD 484 million in 2014-15 to USD 1083 million in 2020-21.
Ministry of Labour & Employment
EPFO introduces email mechanism to obtain e-Sign for easing the Process of EPF Compliance by Employers during Lockdown Period as employers were finding difficult to use digital or Aadhaar based e-Sign
In the current scenario of lockdown announced by the Government to control the spread of COVID-19 pandemic and other disruptions, the employers are not able to function normally and are facing problems in using their digital signatures or Aadhaar based e-sign on EPFO portal.
Many important tasks like KYC attestation, transfer claim attestation etc are being done online by the authorized persons of employers using their Digital Signatures  or Aadhar based e-Signs on EPFO portal. For using DSC/e-Sign, one time approval from Regional Offices is required. Due to lockdown, many employers are facing difficulties to send the one time registration requests to the Regional Offices.
Keeping in view the above situation and to further ease the compliance procedure, EPFO has decided to accept such requests through email also. Employer can send the scanned copy of duly signed request letter to the concerned Regional Office through mail. Official email addresses of the Regional Offices are available at www.epfindia.gov.in .
Further, such establishments, whose authorized officers have approved digital signatures but are not able to locate the dongle, can login to the employer portal and register their e-sign through the link for registration of already registered authorized signatories. If their name against the approved digital signature is same as that in their Aadhar, the registration of e-sign will not require any further approval. Other authorized signatories can register their e-signs and send the request letters approved by the employers and seek approval of the concerned EPFO Offices.
This facility provides further relief to the employers and EPF members adversely impacted by the Pandemic.
Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
Prime Minister Leads International Yoga Day Celebration with Mass Yoga Demonstration in Mysuru
Yoga has now become a global festival and it is not only for an individual but for the humanity: PM
Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers, Sh Bhagwanth Khuba leads IDY celebrations from GOL Gumbaz, Vijayapura, Karnataka
Yoga is an exercise for mind and body. It involves movement, meditation and breathing techniques to promote mental & physical health: Shri Bhagwanth Khuba
Yoga has always been a part of our cultural-spiritual consciousness, says Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi marked the 8th International Yoga Day celebration by participating in a Mass Yoga Demonstration involving thousands of participants at Mysuru Palace Ground in Mysuru, Karnataka.
Addressing the event at Mysuru, Hon'ble Prime Minister said, "Yoga brings peace to our society, nations, world and Yoga brings peace to our universe. I extend my greetings to all on this 8th International Yoga Day. Today, Yoga is being practiced in all parts of the world. The peace from Yoga is not only for individuals, it brings peace to our nations and the world.”
Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that Yoga has now become a global festival and it is not only for an individual but for the entire humanity. This is one of the reasons why this year’s theme for International Yoga Day is ‘Yoga for Humanity’. The Prime Minister added that the yogic energy, which has been nurtured for centuries by the spiritual centers of India like Mysuru, is today giving direction to global health. He stressed that today yoga is becoming a basis for global cooperation and is providing a belief of a healthy life to mankind.
Meanwhile, the Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers, Shri Bhagwanth Khuba led the Yoga day celebrations from GOL Gumbaz, Vijayapura, Karnataka. While addressing on the occasion of International Yoga day, the Union MoS said that Yoga is an exercise for mind and body. It involves movement, meditation and breathing techniques to promote mental & physical health. He further stated that Yoga has always been a part of our cultural-spiritual consciousness. He urged people to do yoga and to inspire others as well. He added that it is our fortune that GOL Gumaz, Vijayapura has been included in the nation's 75 iconic places.
In the spirit of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav as the country celebrates 75th year of independence, International Yoga Day celebrations were held at 75 prominent Heritage spots across the country.
The first International Day of Yoga was celebrated on 21st June 2015. The key purpose behind the United Nations recognising the 21st of June as the IDY was to underline the potential of Yoga in public health globally. The IDY resolution of the United Nations General Assembly  in December 2014 came at the initiative of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and was passed by unanimous consent. Since 2015, the IDY has evolved into a mass movement for health, around the world.
Ministry of Tourism
Secretary Tourism meets PATA CEO at WTM 2022 in London to discuss in depth engagement between PATA and India
Possibility of holding next annual summit of PATA in India also discussed
Key Highlights
- Ministry of Tourism, Government of India is participating at World Travel Market  2022 from 7th to 9th November in London
- Theme of this year`s exhibition is ‘The Future of Travel Starts Now’
New Delhi, 10th November 2022a
Mr Arvind Singh, Secretary and Mr Rakesh Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India had a meeting with Ms. Liz Ortiguera, Pacific Asia Travel Association  CEO to discuss in depth engagement between PATA and India including possibility to hold next annual summit in India, PATA travel mart and participation in other G-20 side events. Ministry of Tourism, Government of India is participating at World Travel Market  2022 from 7th to 9th November in London.
Indian delegation comprises of Tourism Ministers of various states along with senior officials from the Ministry of Tourism and representatives from the Indian travel and tourism stakeholders. During India’s participation in WTM 2022, varied tourism offerings of India are being showcased to the global tourism industry stakeholders such as tour operators, travel agents, media etc.
Indian delegation also met Mr. Andy Burwell, International Director, Confederation of Business Industry  and discussed the possibility of business/ investment opportunities and how India is an attractive investment destination.
India is sharing its priorities for tourism sector, which include focus on promoting sustainable tourism, digitalization of tourism sector, development of tourism MSMEs and skills. India is a land of culture, heritage and spirituality with every state having its own unique tourism offerings to the world. The tourism sector in India is growing fast and gearing up to meet the emerging trends post pandemic. The forthcoming India’s G-20 Presidency from December 2022 to November 2023 will help India’s tourism sector to highlight country’s tourism offerings and share our tourism success stories on a global stage.
The delegation also met Mr. Kevin McCole, Managing Director, UK India Business Council  to invite their participation in the forthcoming Tourism Investor Summit.
Mr Arvind Singh, Secretary participated in International Tourism & Investment Conference  Panel on Strengthening Cooperation within Commonwealth to boost trade and investment in the travel and tourism sector.
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PIB Headquarters
IGNOU Admission cycle for January 2018
Indira Gandhi National Open University  has announced its January 2018 admission cycle.
The University is offering Masters and Bachelors Degree programmes in various subjects including Rural Development, Computer Applications, Tourism Studies, English, Hindi, Philosophy, Gandhi and Peace Studies, Education, Public Administration, Economics, History, Political Science, Sociology, Psychology, Adult Education, Extension and Development Studies, Gender and Development Studies, Distance Education, Anthropology, Commerce, Social Work, Dietetics and Food Services Management, Counselling and Family Therapy, Library and Information Science etc. IGNOU is also offering Post Graduate Diploma, Diploma, Post Graduate Certificate and Certificate programmes including Appreciation Courses on a wide range of subjects.
Bachelor Preparatory Programme , a course of 6 months duration is offered by IGNOU in English, Hindi and in various Regional Languages including Malayalam. Educational aspirants who missed formal schooling of 10+2, can seek admission to the various Bachelor Degree Programmes offered by IGNOU on successful completion of BPP.
The applications for admissions are to be submitted online through the following link: www.onlineadmission.ignou.ac.in
For further details contact IGNOU Regional Centre Trivandrum, Rajadhani Building, Killippalam, Karamana. P.O, Thiruvananthapuram 695002, Ph: 0471-2344113/2344120 Email: rctrivandrum@ignou.ac.in
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PIB Headquarters
Financial Literacy Week 2019 - Inauguration
‘Financial Literacy Week 2019’ was inaugurated on June 3, 2019 in Reserve Bank of India, Hyderabad by Shri Rahul Bojja, Commissioner of Agriculture, Telangana State. Shri Subrata Das, Regional Director for Andhra Pradesh & Telangana State, Shri T.S.Rao, Chief General Manager, Shri Sundaram Shankar, General Manager and Smt. M. Usha, Deputy General Manager of Reserve Bank of India, Hyderabad, Chief General Managers from NABARD, Andhra Pradesh Regional Office and Telangana State Regional Office attended the meeting. Senior Officers from Andhra Bank, Canara Bank, Indian Bank, Syndicate Bank, HDFC Bank, Officials from SLBC, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and Directors from ICAR-CRIDA and ATARI also attended the function. Officials from Financial Inclusion and Development Department, RBI, Hyderabad participated in the inaugural function.
The Financial Literacy Week is an initiative of RBI to promote awareness on key topics every year through a focused campaign. Financial Literacy Week 2019 will be observed from June 3-7 on the theme of “Farmers” and how they benefit by being a part of the formal banking system.
Growth in agriculture is necessary for the overall economic growth & finance is an essential enabler for the same. RBI is actively involved in formulating policies that enhance the flow of credit to the farming community. In recent years, the Bank has undertaken several initiatives to strengthen credit delivery mechanism and financial inclusion.
In order to build awareness and disseminate financial literacy messages to the farming community, focused content in the form of posters and leaflets have been prepared for dissemination. Banks have been advised to display the posters and content in their rural bank branches, Financial Literacy Centers, ATMs and websites. Further, RBI will undertake a centralized mass media campaign during the month of June on Doordarshan and All India Radio to disseminate essential financial awareness messages to farmers.
It was informed in the inaugural function that it is RBI’s endeavour to reach out to the farming community and all stakeholders are requested to co-ordinate and make this financial literacy campaign a success.
President's Secretariat
Crew members of Navika Sagar Parikrama calls on the President
The six women officers comprising the crew of INSV Tarini, who recently completed a circumnavigation of the globe, called on the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, at Rashtrapati Bhavan today .
Welcoming the women officers to Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President said that the expedition they undertook was full of challenges - sailing across the world in the face of rough weather and rough seas and covering over 20,000 nautical-miles in 194 days of sailing. Their success exemplifies a never-give-up attitude, determination, teamwork, mental and physical fitness and professional excellence.
The President said the crew’s success is not just its own. It belongs to and inspires each girl child in our country. This success exemplifies the power of women.
The expedition aboard INSV Tarini was flagged off on September 10, 2017 from Goa and ended with the return to Goa on May 10, 2018. The vessel was skippered by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi, and the crew comprised Lieutenant Commanders Pratibha Jamwal, P Swathi, B Aishwarya and Lieutenants S Vijaya Devi and Payal Gupta.
During its 254 day voyage , the vessel visited Australia, New Zealand, the Falkland Islands , South Africa and Mauritius. The crew also collated and updated meteorological, ocean and wave data on a regular basis for accurate weather forecast by the India Meteorological Department , and monitored and reported marine pollution on the high seas.
Ministry of Rural Development
Report of Expert Committee on SVAMITVA Scheme released
The Report of Expert Committee on SVAMITVA Scheme was released during the National Conference on SVAMITVA Scheme and Rural Planning held on 3rd November, 2022 at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The report, released by Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, provides the guiding principles that States may adopt in order to realize the objectives of the SVAMITVA Scheme holistically.
The Expert Committee was formed in February, 2022 under the Chairmanship of Shri B. K. Agarwal, Former Secretary to the Government of India and Former Chief Secretary, Government of Himachal Pradesh. It consisted of domain experts from Land Governance, Banking, Survey of India, NIC-GIS, State Revenue and Panchayati Raj Departments, Industry and premier Planning and Architecture Institutes.
Through the recommendations, it is envisaged to create systems that promote transparency in the implementation of the scheme, promote the adoption of record of rights for availing bank loan, develop linkages between different departments for informed decision-making related to property tax assessment and collection, wider adoption of SVAMITVA data-sets by government and private agencies as per new geospatial guidelines, adoption of RADPFI  Guidelines and SVAMTIVA data for accurate village level-planning, and increasing capacity at State, District and Block level for GIS skillsets, among others.